[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 184 (Wednesday, December 11, 2024)]
[House]
[Page H6812]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    IN MEMORY OF SENATOR FRED HARRIS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
New Mexico (Ms. Leger Fernandez) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. LEGER FERNANDEZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of 
Fred Harris, a Senator, civil rights and Tribal advocate, Presidential 
candidate, chairman, professor, and so much more to the people lucky 
enough to have known him.
  The title that I love best for my dear friend is ``radical 
optimist.'' In times when we might despair, like the time we find 
ourselves in now, Fred never gave in to fatalism. Instead, Fred asked 
each of us to charge ahead with commitment and courage. His radical 
optimism was not passive but proactive.
  He called upon us to each act with purpose and passion, to find the 
unique places where each of us could lend our action to change the 
direction of the world to better. He called upon us to act collectively 
in the joy that comes from working together with friends and colleagues 
on a cause.
  I first met Senator Harris as a young attorney working on Tribal 
issues in New Mexico. He shared stories of his work together with 
LaDonna Harris, his former wife, elevating Native American issues 
across this country.

  Senator Harris sponsored the landmark bill to restore sacred Blue 
Lake to Taos Pueblo. He created the bipartisan alliance that led to 
President Richard Nixon signing that bill into law in 1970. Blue Lake 
became the touchstone and spark for the return of sacred lands to 
Tribal nations across this country.
  Senator Harris and his beautiful wife, Margaret Elliston, herself a 
democracy hero, then became good friends as I myself ran for office. 
His deep laughter and inexhaustible supply of stories to illustrate a 
path forward helped me immensely over the last 5 years.
  Harris' career included serving in Oklahoma and the United States 
Senate as chairman of the Democratic National Committee. Throughout his 
career and his many roles, he always led and listened with courage and 
empathy.
  He was a strong supporter of and voted for--imagine this--the Voting 
Rights Act in 1965 during his first year in the United States Senate 
and continued to advocate until this year.
  At the University of New Mexico, he founded the Fred Harris 
Internship Program. Since 2006, Congress has welcomed smart, dedicated 
New Mexicans to serve in our delegation offices. I have hosted and then 
hired Fred Harris interns because they bring with them the same radical 
optimism as their sponsor.
  I hope his family takes solace in the fact that every intern and 
person whose life he touched will keep his spirit alive as they also 
bring his love of country, community, and service to their own life 
work.
  Senator Harris' legacy will ring through history in the laughter and 
radical optimism he left us.


          Recognizing Santa Fe New Mexican's 175th Anniversary

  Ms. LEGER FERNANDEZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate my 
hometown newspaper, the Santa Fe New Mexican, on its 175th anniversary. 
The first issue of the paper was printed in 1849.
  The New Mexican has brought stories to life about gold strikes, 
floods, votes on prohibition, and debates on statehood and whether 
women should have the right to vote. It has shared stories of the 
struggles and strengths of the survivors of wildfires, informed voters 
about their local candidates, and anointed the best chili in the city.
  To keep democracy strong, it made sure voters understood the 
positions and perspectives of local, Senate, Federal, and national 
candidates for office.
  I myself like this one page from 1938 that juxtaposes the rise of 
fascism in Europe with Santa Fe's burning of old man gloom. My local 
newspaper was ahead of the curve. It took The New York Times 80 years 
before they reported on Zozobra.
  Santa Feans, as the New Mexican has shown, have been choosing joy 
over fascism for over 100 years.
  Stories matter, and who tells them matters just as much. That is why 
it is important that an independent paper with integrity, like the New 
Mexican, has been telling stories about our communities since it was 
founded. Papers like the New Mexican keep us well-informed and active 
citizens.
  In this time of democracy at risk, we need papers like the New 
Mexican, and I am so happy to be on this floor to celebrate its 
anniversary.

                          ____________________